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Israeli Official Says, Beirut Strike Targeted Hezbollah Chief; New CNN Polling In Trump-Harris Showdown; At Least 32 Killed Across Five States As Helene Batters Southeast; U.S. Charges Three Iranians In Trump Campaign Hack; CNN In Beirut As New Explosions Rock Lebanese Capital. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 27, 2024 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, a major new escalation in the Middle East after Israel says it targeted the leader of Hezbollah when it attacked the group's headquarters in Beirut, as fears of all-out war are clearly intensifying right now. I spoke to the U.S. defense secretary, Lloyd Austin. Stand by for that exclusive interview this hour.

Also tonight, rushing floodwaters and a rising death toll as a Helene batters the southeast after slamming into Florida with hurricane force more powerful than the region has ever seen. We're tracking the storm and the danger.

Plus, as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris hold dueling battleground state events tonight, CNN has exclusive new polling on the presidential race in two pivotal locations that could be the deciders on Election Day.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

All right, let's get right to the breaking news in the Middle East. A senior Israeli official says it's too early to say if Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in the strike on the group's central headquarters.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is joining us live from Beirut right now. Jomana, what do we know about that strike and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Beirut?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Wolf, about seven hours ago, this entire city was rocked by these blasts. We were on the roof of this building and we felt the building shake. It was some of the largest explosions I have ever witnessed. And speaking to colleagues who have been in Lebanon, have covered Lebanon for years, they say that they have not seen strikes like this in Beirut in many, many years, saying that, you know, the last time that they felt large explosions like that was during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

What we do know from an Israeli senior official telling our colleague, Jeremy Diamond, was that that the target of that strike was Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hezbollah.

Now, the Israeli military has not officially said that he was the target of that strike in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah is known to have a presence there. They have said that they targeted with precise strikes as they described it the main headquarters of Hezbollah. And we've heard from the Israeli military saying that it is going to take time for them to reach that post-strike assessment.

But, you know, here we have not heard yet from Hezbollah, no official statements, no comment. Our colleagues have been trying to reach out to their Hezbollah sources, but nothing yet. Very unclear at this moment whether Hassan Nasrallah was indeed in that building, whether what his fate is right now.

What we do know from Lebanese authorities is that six buildings were reduced to rubble. Well, according to the health ministry, we've just received updated casualty figures. They say that at least six people are confirmed killed and at least 91 others have been injured. But they are cautioning that this is a casualty figure that is going to rise.

If you look at the images of the aftermath, looking at the crater, according to analysis of that crater and the blast that took place, it is believed that 2,000 pound bombs were used in these strikes. So, you know, we're talking about one of the most densely populated areas in this entire country. So, the dust hole is almost certainly going to rise in the coming hours.

And since then, we have heard from the Israeli military issuing about just under two hours ago, issuing evacuation orders through a post on tweet by the IDF's Arabic language spokesman, telling residents around three buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, telling them to evacuate these areas and a 500-meter radius around these buildings, saying that the Israeli military is going to be striking those buildings, that they are close to Hezbollah facilities and that they need to get out of there.

And a short time ago, we heard from the Israeli military saying that they have begun conducting strikes on these buildings.

[18:05:05]

We have to wait and hear more. But we heard from the Israeli military spokesman, Rear Admiral Hagari, he says that they are targeting what they say is missiles that are stored underneath these buildings. I can tell you this city and this entire country right now is on knife's edge, Wolf.

BLITZER: I'm sure it is. Jomana Karadsheh in Beirut, stay safe. Thank you very much.

Israel's new attack in Beirut is putting additional strain on its relationship with the United States as well.

CNN's Alex Markward is joining us right now. He's over at the United Nations. So, what is the U.S. saying about this, Alex? ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, top Biden administration officials are really trying to distance themselves from this strike, saying that they had no advanced knowledge, no participation in this. In fact, the secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, said that he learned about this from his counterpart, Yoav Gallant, as the operation was taking place. And tonight, Wolf, we are hearing more warnings about what this could mean for the region from those U.S. officials. Here's what Secretary of State Antony Blinken had to say earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: The events of the past week and the past few hours underscore what a precarious moment this is for the Middle East and for the world. Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism, the way it does so matters. The choices that all parties make in the coming days will determine which path this region is on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: And, Wolf, this, of course, comes after the White House had put a ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah on the table for 21 days of pause, which Netanyahu appeared to immediately reject, saying the IDF would continue fighting with full force.

Tonight, we got a bit more of an explanation from a senior Israeli official who called this an honest misunderstanding. They claim -- the Israeli side claims that they wanted more, they had more questions about this process while the U.S. wanted to see this ceasefire implemented immediately, and that was too soon for Israel. Wolf?

BLITZER: And what else are you hearing from that senior Israeli official, Alex, about Nasrallah's fate?

MARQUARDT: Well, there are still a lot of questions, and they're still trying to figure out what exactly happened. They said that it was a very tough call to decide to target Hassan Nasrallah. They were going after him and senior Hezbollah commanders.

Now, if indeed Nasrallah is killed, this senior official said, that would mean that more than half of the Hezbollah leadership has been recently taken out by Israel and could represent a real pivot in this conflict because they say Nasrallah is irreplaceable.

Now, highlighting the seriousness of this situation, we understand that Prime Minister Netanyahu is on his way back to Israel tonight. He's cutting his trip short. It is rare that he travels on Shabbat, but he does feel the need to get back to Israel. Wolf?

BLITZER: I'm sure he does. All right, Alex Marquardt at the United Nations, thanks very much.

Now to my exclusive one on one interview with the U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin. We spoke earlier today about Israel's offensive against Hezbollah and the threat of a wider war in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for joining us, especially during these very, very busy times.

As you know, Israel is vowing to press on with its assault on Hezbollah in Lebanon despite the U.S. push for a ceasefire. How likely do you think an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon is?

LLOYD AUSTIN, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, Wolf the Prime Minister has been clear that his goal is to get Israeli civilians who have been displaced from their homes in the north back to their homes as soon as possible.

I believe, we believe the best way to do that is through diplomacy. And that's why you've seen President Biden lead the effort to get a ceasefire, a 21-day ceasefire, so that diplomacy can take place. So, we would hope that we don't see a ground incursion, because if that happens, there is a chance that the conflict could broaden into what could be a regional conflict.

So, again, we think the best solution going forward --

BLITZER: You say the conflict could broaden. Are you concerned that Iran, which is an ally of Hezbollah, would get involved? Is that what you're suggesting?

AUSTIN: Yes, Wolf, there is that possibility. There's also the possibility that we could see greater activity from other groups, like the Houthis or the Iraqi Shia militia groups. And so we want to see the tensions taken down and we want to see things resolved diplomatically, if possible.

[18:10:00]

BLITZER: As you know --

AUSTIN: And we certainly believe it's possible.

BLITZER: What are the implications, do you think, of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon? And I asked that question because the U.S. has already started sending additional troops and equipment to the region. What would be the extent of U.S. support for Israel in that scenario?

AUSTIN: Well, Wolf, an all-out war between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel would be devastating for both Lebanon and Israel. And, again, we anticipate that we'd see a number of people displaced, casualties that, you know, equal or exceed what we've seen in Gaza.

And so, again, the best way forward in our view is a diplomatic effort, a diplomatic solution. And that's why you're seeing so many countries, the leaders of so many countries come forward and say, you know, we need to work together to ensure that we get an immediate ceasefire for at least 21 days, allow that diplomacy to take place. And from there, we can hopefully get the citizens back to -- the Israeli citizens back to their homes in the north. And also, we would perhaps see an opening to get a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of the hostages, which we very much want to see.

BLITZER: I'm going to get to Gaza in a moment, but what's the point now of deploying additional troops and U.S. equipment to the region over there?

AUSTIN: Well, Wolf, as you know, I already have a lot of combat power in the region. Of course, we are a planning organization. We plan for all contingencies, and we'll be ready for it, for any contingencies. And so any event that that we have to address, one of a number of contingencies, we will have the right assets and people in place to be able to do that.

BLITZER: Let's talk about Gaza. I want to get to that. It's obviously a critically important issue right now. Israel, as you probably know, struck a school sheltering displaced Palestinians yesterday. They say it was a Hamas target, but women and children were killed. An analysis shows that Israel used a U.S. bomb in that strike. When these strikes are irregular occurrence and the death toll is now in Gaza, we're told by Gaza officials, more than 41,000, how can you say Israel is using weapons in accordance with international law?

AUSTIN: Well, again, the Israelis are a professional force and they do have policies and procedures that, you know, are the right policies and procedures. But, again, you know, you've heard me say a number of times, Wolf, the death toll has -- the number of civilian casualties has been far too high. We would like to see things -- like them to see them do things in a different way. And I'll continue to press that issue every time I talk to my counterpart, Mr. Gallant. And you probably know that I talk to him at least every week and sometimes a couple of times a week.

BLITZER: And you think you're on the same page with him or is there conflict there in your conversations with him?

AUSTIN: There's not conflict, Wolf. But, again I continue to believe that the civilian casualty rate is too high. And things can be done a bit differently in terms of their approach.

BLITZER: This month alone, Mr. Secretary, Israel has struck at least ten school shelters, we're talking about in Gaza. It struck the designated safe zone of Al Mawasi and near three polio vaccination centers. Does that pattern amount, from your perspective, to a violation of international law?

AUSTIN: Wolf, I think we have to remember what's happening here. Hamas deliberately uses civilians as shields. It places its headquarters and its logistical sites underneath schools and hospitals, you name it. Again, it has done that from the very beginning, continues to do that. And that's what makes this very difficult situation even more difficult.

So, Hamas -- you know, I call upon Hamas to cease in that type of activity. And I believe if they do, then, you know, we'll see a different outcome in terms of the types of civilian casualties that we've seen.

BLITZER: As you know, Israel now says it has just secured an additional $8.7 billion military aid package from the United States.

[18:15:01]

Does it concern you that despite this unwavering U.S. support, Prime Minister Netanyahu undermined the Gaza ceasefire talks and is ignoring U.S. calls to de-escalate right now with Hezbollah in Lebanon?

AUSTIN: Wolf, we're going to continue to work with, you know, their diplomats. We're going to continue to work with their leadership, to do everything we can to get a ceasefire so that diplomacy can take place. And we've been clear from the very beginning that we're going to support Israel in its efforts to defend itself. We've done that from the very beginning, and we're going to continue to do that going forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And later this hour, we'll have more of my exclusive interview with the defense secretary, Lloyd Austin. Stand by for that.

But, first, the live pictures right now out of Arizona, Vice President Kamala Harris at the U.S. border with Mexico during her first trip there since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee. Can she close the gap with Donald Trump on this key issue driving his campaign? We're talking about immigration.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

BLITZER: Vice President Kamala Harris is in Arizona making her first trip to the southern border with Mexico since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.

Let's bring in CNN's Priscilla Alvarez. She's traveling with the vice president in Douglas, Arizona, right now. So, Priscilla, what is the vice president trying to do with this trip?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, sources tell me that her advisers want to close the gap with former President Donald Trump. What they've seen in polling is that the former president's lead on the issue is eroding since the vice president became the lead of the party's ticket, And so they want to close that further.

Now, the way they're going to do that, though, is notable. I'm told by a senior campaign official that the vice president is not only going to embrace President Joe Biden's asylum crackdown, something we saw over the summer, but go further, by trying to make it harder to lift those border restrictions, restrictions, Wolf, that largely barred migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S. southern border if they crossed unlawfully. This is significant because what it tells us is the vice president and her campaign's messaging moving forward is going to be that they want a tougher stance on the U.S.-Mexico border and on border security specifically.

Now, the vice president has been needling former President Donald Trump on that bipartisan border measure that he and Republicans tanked earlier this year, and we anticipate that she will say, quote, the American people deserve a president who cares more about border security than playing political games. That's an excerpt from what we expect to hear from her later this afternoon. And that's going to be the through line in addition to her walking through some of her border plans like getting more resources to border agents and more technology to detect fentanyl.

But, of course, Wolf, she's doing this in Arizona. Arizona is a battleground state, one where former president Donald Trump has a lead. And they are trying to not only close the gap on the issue, but also close the gap with the former president. They are also releasing a new ad today on border security, also citing her work as California attorney general, a border state, which is going to air here as well as in other battleground states.

So, taken together, Wolf, you can see a strategy coming together with the vice president trying to go on the offensive and turn what has been a political vulnerability for Democrats on its head. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Priscilla. We're showing our viewers, by the way, some live pictures of the vice president along the border with Mexico in Douglas, Arizona, right now. Very important visit she's making to the border with Mexico. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much.

I want to get an update right now on former President Trump and his meeting today with the visiting Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is on the campaign trail with the Trump campaign in Warren, Michigan, for us. Kristen, what do we know, first of all, about this meeting?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, just a reminder that this meeting almost didn't happen. In fact, earlier this week, I was told by senior advisers that it wasn't happening. Donald Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, accusing him of making nasty little aspersions, those were his words, towards Donald Trump. The campaign was attacking Zelenskyy for comments that he made in Pennsylvania, saying that J.D. Vance was too radical. But after Zelenskyy reached out through intermediaries, they turned the page, they had this meeting. And I was told by sources that this was really a meeting for Zelenskyy to lay out his case and that he also reminded Donald Trump that they got along when both of them were in office when Donald Trump was in office.

But I will say it is still very unclear what Donald Trump would do to end the war in Ukraine, or even with aid to Ukraine if he were to be re-elected. Here's what he said after that meeting with Zelenskyy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We have a very good relationship. And I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin. And I think if we win, I think we're going to get it resolved very quickly. I really think we're going to get it resolved.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I hope we have more good relations.

TRUMP: We're going to have a lot. But, you know, it takes two to tango.

I think that we can work out something that's good for both sides. It's time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: He has never really gone any further than saying we would get it resolved very quickly, so no answers on that. But, of course, as you mentioned, we are here in Michigan, another critical battleground state. You can tell how important this state is because Donald Trump has been doing a series of events here over the last several weeks. We expect him to visit the state again next week. One of these states with a very thin margin and one that the Trump camp believes is one that will help Donald Trump get to the White House in November.

One thing we expect him to bring up during this town hall is Kamala Harris' visit to the border. His team has been slamming her visit for the last several days. Just a reminder that one of the things that they believe Donald Trump could win on in November is the issue of immigration.

[18:25:03]

They do not want Kamala Harris to be able to go on the offensive. They want to keep her on the defensive. Of course, we'll see what happens after this visit. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Kristen Holmes in Warren, Michigan for us, Kristen, thanks very much.

I want to bring in our Political Commentators S.E. Cupp and Maria Cardona. S. E., there was obvious tension in this meeting. Trump emphasized his so-called good relationship with Vladimir Putin, even as he stood next to President Zelenskyy. What's your takeaway from that?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that one line really said a lot to me about what Donald Trump thinks and knows about this geopolitical controversy and complicated issue that deserves more than just it takes two to tango. I thought that was a really sort of unfortunate thing to say to turn this disaster, this illegal invasion of a sovereign nation that's resulted in the deaths of 35,000 Ukrainians into like a deal that he would do and takes two to tango. It was insensitive. I think it was ignorant.

But, listen, as Kristen just noted, he has never been able to say what he would do about Ukraine. He would just say, I'll do a deal and I have a great relationship with Putin. I think that that relationship with Vladimir Putin is much more important to him than actually solving this crisis and learning what it would take to do that.

BLITZER: Yes, and to say that next to Zelenskyy was pretty awkward, I must say, indeed.

Maria, I want to get your reaction to what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told me earlier today about this relationship. Watch and listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: This week, as you know, Mr. Secretary, the former president, Donald Trump, and his Republican allies ratcheted up their personal criticism of President Zelenskyy. Has U.S. support for this war been irreversibly politicized right now?

AUSTIN: Well, I won't speculate on that, Wolf. What I would tell you what our focus is, what my focus is, and that is providing continuing to provide everything that we can to ensure that the Ukraine can be successful.

And you just heard President Biden yesterday announced a significant amount of security assistance that we're providing to Ukraine. And in that, it included some new capability that we haven't provided in the past.

So, you know, our focus will remain on making sure that we're giving Ukraine everything that we can provide that will prove effective in this fight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Maria, what do you make of that?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it doesn't surprise me that he didn't want to get into the political nature, which was what you asked him. But it was important for him to underscore the unwavering commitment of the United States to continue to provide funds and resources to Ukraine to be able -- so that they can be able to continue to defend themselves.

Because what Donald Trump said in the clip that you just showed was just completely embarrassing, it was incompetency. It just showed just how unserious Donald Trump is as a leader on the world stage. And you can imagine what Zelenskyy heard when Donald Trump said, we're going to figure out something here that is good for both sides, that means that if Donald Trump does win, I think the politics in this will be irreversible, Wolf, and Ukraine will look nothing like what it looks like today.

Donald Trump will hand over part, or perhaps even all of you Ukraine to Putin on a silver platter, and we cannot let that happen.

BLITZER: Yes. S.E., as you know, vice president, Kamala Harris is visiting the southern border with Mexico for the first time now as the Democratic presidential nominee. Is this the right move or does it just draw more attention to a political vulnerability for her?

CUPP: Yes, this is a tricky issue for her. And if she's damned if she does, she's damned if she doesn't. If she didn't go, they'd say she didn't even go to the border, see how unseriously she takes it. She's going now, so there's this circular argument, well, why didn't you go earlier? You know, folks are saying this was all Biden's policies, then Democrats will say, but when we tried to fix it, Republicans said, no. It's a circular argument that never ends, and it will never end.

But I can tell you it's not appealing to undecided voters in the swing states who are not here for the finger pointing and the blame game. They just want solutions. So, for the voters for whom immigration is a top number one issue, she's not reaching them. They don't trust her. They don't trust Biden. But for the voters for whom immigration is a softer issue, maybe a top five issue, I think she can by tacking to the middle a little bit, by giving specifics on what she would do, by calling for more resources, by saying that it will be harder to lift those restrictions on the border.

[18:30:13]

That is enough, I think, for some undecided independent voters, again, for whom they don't already have an immigration like hard line stance.

BLITZER: You know, to S.E.'s point, Maria, listen to Trump slamming Kamala Harris' trip to the border. Listen and watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Why would she go to the border now, playing right into the hand of her opponent?

She keeps talking about how she supposedly wants to fix the border. We would merely ask, why didn't she do it four years ago?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, Maria, how do you respond to that?

CARDONA: I think I would respond to that, and what she will say is, crossings today, Wolf, undocumented crossings today at the border, are lower than they were when Donald Trump left office. So, she has already put in solutions. She has already focused on solving the issue. Because you know what, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance and the MAGA Republicans can't have it both ways. They can't scream with their hair on fire, that the border is a huge problem, and then turn their back on the toughest border security bill that we've ever had that was negotiated in a bipartisan way simply because Donald Trump wanted to weaponize the issue and use it as a political pawn. So, the V.P. will underscore that and she will expose how unserious they are, what charlatans they are, and she's the one who will offer real solutions that Americans want.

BLITZER: S.E., Kamala Harris' border visit today comes as a new CNN poll of North Carolina shows a tied race in this key battleground state. This is clearly a must-win state for Trump. What's your reaction?

CUPP: I talked to Democrats. They are so hungry to win this state again. They haven't since 2008. They can almost taste it. And they are closing what used to be a ten-point gap. They are now effectively tied, so it's within reach.

BLITZER: S.E. Cupp and Maria Cardona, to both of you, thank you very much for coming in.

Coming up, historic power and destruction, we're going to take you to some of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene and show you where the storm is endangering lives right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

BLITZER: Tonight, the death toll is up to at least 32 across the storm-battered southeast as the remnants of Hurricane Helene unleash more pounding rains and life-threatening flooding. We're tracking the destruction along Helene's path in the hours since it slammed into Florida as a very powerful Category 4 hurricane.

CNN's Carlos Suarez is on the ground for us in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIA VARTSAKIS, OWNER, NEPTUNE GRILL: We've lost everything in this building.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Taking stock and feeling heartbreak after Hurricane Helene slammed Florida's west coast.

MAYOR LIZ ALPERT, SARASOTA, FLORIDA: This is the worst probably we've seen in our area in 100 years. I know I've been in Sarasota for 22 years, and I've never seen anything like it.

SUAREZ: Heavy rain bringing historic flooding, forcing water rescues.

MATTHEW HELLER, TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Holy cow, that storm surge The whole lower level of my home is filled with water. I ended up hopping on to one of my little kayaks to float around in my living room. This has been just a heck of a storm surge. It's wiped out all my neighbors. I see just the destruction going all down the road.

SUAREZ: Down many roads, boats run aground, power lines down, homes and businesses destroyed. VARTSAKIS: Some of it's outside, some of it's in here. This is by far the worst I've ever had.

SUAREZ: And some ablaze amidst the flooding. Rescuers pass a burning home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody in your house?

SUAREZ: Using their resources instead to search for survivors.

RANDY VON ALLMEN, GULFPORT, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Boy, it's devastating. I've never seen something like this. I've known people that lived here 20 years had said they've never seen anything like it.

SUAREZ: After slashing Florida, Helene pushed north, battering Georgia and the Carolinas, also leaving life threatening flooding. In Atlanta, communities left underwater as Helene held its strength as a hurricane until halfway through the state of Georgia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the worst I've ever seen. I've seen the creek high, like right up to the bottom of the bridge, but nothing like this.

SUAREZ: But it wasn't finished yet. Helene's massive size spread the rain and misery into North Carolina, where a relentless deluge caused historic flooding in Asheville just one day after a 1 in 1,000 year rainfall saturated the region.

GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): This is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of Western North Carolina.

SUAREZ: And Helene moving into Tennessee, bringing rising water and dangerous flooding. In Erwin, Tennessee, more than 50 people were stranded on the roof of a hospital surrounded by raging floods. Helicopters were sent to save them.

MICHAEL BAKER, ALDERMAN, ERWIN, TENNESSEE: They're currently taking patients and staff off of the roof of the hospital and then transporting them back into the city of Erwin. This is a serious situation. I would dare to say this is a life and death situation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Carlos is joining us now live. Carlos, I know you're in Gulfport, Florida, for us.

[18:40:02]

Did people there have enough time to evacuate? And what are they returning home to?

SUAREZ (on camera): Well, Wolf, that mandatory evacuation order went out a day before the storm passed us to the east. But emergency officials really were worried that far too many people stayed behind because Gulfport was not going to get a direct hit from this hurricane. As for what they're coming home to and what they're dealing with, the damage out here is widespread, but the repair work is already underway.

And the folks out here, Wolf, they're also looking after each other. There's a business here that is cooking food, cooking dinner tonight and handing it out to residents and workers for free. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Carlos Suarez in Gulfport for us, thank you, Carlos, very much.

Just ahead of sweeping criminal indictment unsealed today. The U.S. Justice Department charging three Iranians with a massive hacking scheme aimed at Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:08]

BLITZER: The U.S. Justice Department is charging three Iranian nationals allegedly linked to a hacking operation aimed at the Trump campaign.

Our senior justice correspondent, Evan Perez, is joining us right now.

Evan, what more are you learning?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, according to prosecutors, this is a years-long campaign that as you pointed out, was targeting the Trump campaign. Among the things that they did was use phishing operations to impersonate people and get access to the Trump campaign. They managed to get documents, including vice presidential nominee vetting information and they also got debate prep material just hours before the June 27 debate, they managed to send these debate materials to someone associated with the -- what was then the Joe Biden campaign.

Now, I'll read you just part of what this email that was sent if someone associated with the Biden campaign it says, I hate Trump. I'm going to pass the materials along to you that would be useful to defeat him. Below is the final prep for the first debate tonight. Read and be strong and ready for tonight.

Now, Wolf, according to prosecutors, there's no indication that anyone who received this actually open this emails, but it gives you a sense of what the Iranians were up to.

Here's what the deputy -- I'm sorry, the FBI Director Christopher Wray says, what the aim of this entire operation was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: Iran's intent was clear, to sow discord and shape the outcome of our elections. Today, the FBI would like to send a message to the government of Iran. You and your hackers can't hide behind your keyboards. If you try to meddle in our elections, we're going to hold you accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PEREZ: Now as part of this operation, Wolf, according to prosecutors, the hackers managed to impersonate Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Now, for four years, apparently, there were sending emails trying to impersonate or to get access to people around Donald Trump -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Evan Perez, thank you very much for that update.

Coming up, more of my exclusive interview with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin addressing whether the United States will change policy and let Ukraine use U.S. supplied weapons deeper inside Russia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:51:37]

BLITZER: We have more of my exclusive interview with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on U.S. military aid for Ukraine's fight against Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: President Zelenskyy is still urging the U.S. to give permission to strike deeper into Russia with U.S. weapons. The U.S. changed its mind and provided longer range missiles, tanks, and fighter jets to Ukraine.

So will the U.S. allow deeper strikes into Russia by Ukraine with U.S. weapons, or is this a different calculation?

AUSTIN: Wolf, our policy hasn't changed and, you know, I would point what I've said before is that, you know, one weapon won't be a silver bullet for in terms of resolving this conflict. It's a combination of capabilities that are -- that are combined to create the effects that you want to -- want to create.

Now I've been focused -- we have been focused on providing Ukraine what it needs to be able to successfully defend its sovereign territory from the very beginning. And that's why I brought together some 50 countries, some -- two -- two-and-a-half years ago to meet in discuss how we're going to continue to provide security assistance that we've done that consistently every -- every month.

We meet every month, either in person or virtually, and our support to Ukraine has been unwavering. We're going to continue to focus on giving them what they need to be successful on the battlefield. And again, one -- one specific weapon wont be the answer, to every problem on the battlefield. And I think, you know, what we've seen recently is that Ukraine has the ability to now produce its own weaponry in terms of UAVs that are proven to be very, very effective in that fight. And some of these UAVs can range out beyond 400 kilometers, which is beyond the range of ATACMS or Storm Shadow or anything else that we would be able to provide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That's Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for that interview.

Coming up, there's breaking news unfolding right now. More explosions happening in Beirut as the Israeli military ramps up airstrikes against Hezbollah.

We'll have a live report from Lebanon. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:58:25]

BLITZER: We're following breaking news right now. New explosions are rocking the Lebanese capital of Beirut once again tonight, as Israel ramps up its operations against Hezbollah.

Let's bring in our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman. He's live in Beirut for us.

What are you seeing? What are you hearing, Ben?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, within the last approximately hour, hour-and-a-half, we'd seen at least 10 individual airstrikes on southern Beirut behind me, not airstrikes the likes of which happened at 6:00 p.m. this evening --

(AUDIO GAP)

WEDEMAN: -- did hear planes overhead. What we know is that a result of Israeli warnings put out over Twitter, that hundreds, perhaps thousands of people have already fled those neighborhoods. We understand that many of them are desperately seeking shelter at the moment on WhatsApp groups here in Beirut.

There are offers, news, at certain schools or institutions are opening to take them in, but this really comes after basically seven or eight hours of bombing of Beirut, as I said, starting at 6:00 p.m. with that massive explosion. Now, we only -- we understand from the ministry of health that there are preliminary death toll for that strike is six, with 91 injured. But given that six buildings were totally flattened in that strike, which we understand several 2,000-pound bombs were used, basically bunker busters that it's very likely that the death toll will rise dramatically in the coming hours.

But, of course, on the scene, there are rescue teams digging desperately in the rubble to find out if there's anybody left alive -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Ben Wedeman, as I always say to you, stay safe over there. Thanks very much.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.